UNT GPS Art Contest

Track What Matters is excited to sponsor the University of North Texas’ Drawing II GPS Tracking Art Competition.

Elaine Pawlowicz’s Drawing II class of 150 students have been given the task of using GPS to create a drawing using the Track What Matters GPS tracking system(modified for this project). Using real-time tracking devices as a drawing material, these UNT art students will learn to better understand their use of time and space on a large scale canvas–the world around them. This new media art project will allow the inner artist to shine, as it will undoubtedly take some creative genius to use GPS technology in the construction of an inspired drawing.

Not only do these students have the opportunity to work with state-of-the-art technology, no pun intended, but they will also be competing for sponsored scholarship prizes. An expert panel of judges will decide a winner, while the other winner will be awarded by popular vote on this site. The highest voted “inspired” pieces will receive cash prizes.

The students of University of North Texas will be posting their works of art soon, and official voting will begin November 19, 2012.

This project was inspired when Track What Matters’ CEO, Steven Van Ooyen, saw a GPS “drawing” of an Emperial Walker done by a man on his bike, Michael Wallace.

Better known as Wally, he has clearly “taken on an internal passion for blending technology with creativity.” Steven was intrigued with Wally’s work and remembered the portfolio work of an art major at UNT he had seen as a student 20 years prior.

At this point, Van Ooyen contacted the Dean of the UNT Art School, Mr. Milnes, and pitched the idea of this project. When Mr. Milnes presented the idea to Professor Pawlowicz, she was immediately interested.

Elaine Pawlowicz, Steven, and the Track What Matters staff worked together starting in April to create the project and contest plan. Mr. Van Ooyen said, “We are excited to see what the art students at UNT create using this medium. It is very different than pencil or charcoal work, but it very much ties in with the principles of time and space that Professor Pawlowicz is teaching in her class.”

Voting ended in mid December, and the winning students were presented with their scholarships at the end of the fall 2012 semester.

If you would like to view the winners art students work, please click here.